by Terry Campbell
Saturday a ceremony in Kasson launched the 2011 Wreaths Across America effort in the county. The event is celebrated across the country at 11am on the second Saturday in December.
It was started by Morrill Worchester of Worchester Wreath Company in Harrington, Maine in 1992. With a surplus of wreaths near the end of the holiday season that year, he made arrangements to have the wreaths placed on the graves of veterans buried in Arlington National Cemetery. American Legions and VFW posts donated their time to decorate each one with a red bow and trucking firms provided the transportation to the cemetery in Virginia. The annual tribute continued unnoticed until 2005 when a photo caught national attention interest and requests poured in from across the country to participate. Wreaths Across America was formed in 2007 with the mission to Remember, Honor and Teach. In 2008 100,000 wreaths were placed on veteran’s graves, in 2010 over 220,000 wreaths were distributed.
A group of dedicated volunteers has worked to raise awareness and organize the wreath distribution in this area. In 2010 they collected donations to place a hundred wreaths on veteran’s grave sites in the area. This year there were 182 wreaths donated at $15 each. Some donated to a specific serviceperson while others simply asked that the wreath be placed on a veteran’s tomb. This year there were wreaths placed in 53 cemeteries, 33 of which are in Dodge County. The American Legion in Claremont donated six, Dodge Center donated four, Kasson donated nine and West Concord post donated four. The rest of the 182 wreaths were donated by individuals. The American Legion Posts in Byron, Claremont, Dodge Center, Kasson, Pine Island, Wanamingo, West Concord and the VFW in Mazeppa all took part in the ceremony at the park in Kasson and the subsequent distribution to the gravesites later in the day. The wreaths remain at the headstone of the veteran through the holiday to remember those who served our country and are not forgotten during the Christmas season. The wreath remains green and vibrant against the winter snow until they are removed on February 28th of this coming year. The volunteers will be back this next summer at local events to collect donations for the 2012 Wreaths Across America and hope to see the program grow in the future as it has so far.
Tom Hall presented the wreath in honor of Prisoners of War at the ceremony Saturday.
A red wreath in remembrance of those servicemen who have died and a yellow wreath in honor of those who are serving in the armed forces were blessed at the ceremony on Saturday.
A ceremony at the park in Kasson Saturday kicked off the distribution of 182 wreaths to servicemen's grave sites in the area.
